Fire stations are being disinfected at least twice a day as the OKC Fire Department contends with coronavirus threats and shortages of safety equipment. [The Oklahoman Archive]

Oklahoma City fire stations are being disinfected twice per day at a minimum and crews are limiting the number of personnel who enter homes to evaluate medical patients, as part of efforts to limit spread of coronavirus.

Firefighters with advanced life support (ALS) skills and equipment are often the front-line response to medical emergencies in Oklahoma City, answering about 60,000 calls annually.

As the coronavirus crisis deepens, roughly one out of every 10 calls is for a patient with possible COVID-19 symptoms, says Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson, the department's public information officer.

Firefighters work 24-hour shifts. Fulkerson says many firefighters are showering and washing their clothing at the fire station "so they minimize contaminating their own homes and families."

"So far, no firefighter has been diagnosed with COVID-19, but we have had a handful self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution," he says.

OKCFD is grappling with dwindling reserves of safety equipment, including N95 masks with the metal strip across the bridge of the nose.

"Gowns are in even shorter supply ... so we have ordered rain gear that we can utilize for splash protection," Fulkerson says.

Fire stations are being disinfected at least twice a day as the OKC Fire Department contends with coronavirus threats and shortages of safety equipment. [The Oklahoman Archive]

William Crum

OU and Norman High School graduate, formerly worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and the Norman Transcript. Married, two children, lives in Norman.
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